Men Without Women (1930)

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  • MEN WITHOUT WOMEN


    DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY JOHN FORD
    FOX FILM CORPORATION



    Photo with the courtesy of elly



    Information from IMDb


    Plot Summary
    Aboard the U.S. submarine S13 in the China seas,
    Chief Torpedoman Burke goes about his duties.
    In actuality, he is Quartermaine, the infamous former commander
    of the British ship Royal Scot, which was sunk by Germans
    with a Field Marshal aboard.
    Quartermaine had told his sweetheart that the Field Marshal
    would be aboard, not knowing that she was an informant for the enemy.
    When the S13 sinks, Burke takes charge when the commander,
    Ensign Price, is unable to command.
    Burke must keep his mates alive long enough
    on the bottom of the sea for rescuers to arrive.
    Written by Jim Beaver


    Full Cast
    Kenneth MacKenna ... Chief Torpedoman Burke
    Frank Albertson ... Ens. Albert Edward Price
    J. Farrell MacDonald ... Costello (as Farrell Macdonald)
    Warren Hymer ... Kaufman
    Paul Page ... Handsome
    Walter McGrail ... Joe Cobb
    Stuart Erwin ... Radioman Jenkins
    George LeGuere ... Curly Pollock
    Charles K. Gerrard ... Cmdr. Weymouth (as Charles Gerrard)
    Ben Hendricks Jr. ... Murphy
    Harry Tenbrook ... Dutch Winkler
    Warner Richmond ... Lt. Cmdr. Briddwell
    Frank Baker ... Undetermined role
    Ivan Lebedeff ... Man in bar with top hat (uncredited)
    Robert Parrish ... Undetermined role (uncredited)
    Frank Richardson ... Singing sailor in Shanghai (uncredited)
    Pat Somerset ... Lt. Digby (uncredited)
    Roy Stewart ... Capt. Carson (uncredited)


    Duke Morrison ... Radioman on surface (uncredited)


    Produced By
    John Ford ....
    James Kevin McGuinness .... associate producer


    Writing Credits
    John Ford (story "Submarine") and
    James Kevin McGuinness (story "Submarine")
    Dudley Nichols (writer)
    Otis C. Freeman (titles)


    Cinematography
    Joseph H. August (as Joseph Augus)


    Trivia
    * It is sometimes stated, incorrectly, that this picture was based on the play "Submerged" by 'Clay Shaw', who was later acquitted of conspiring to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. When this picture was released Shaw was about 17 years old.


    Movie Status
    Men Without Women is available of course,
    as shown on television, but the print is incomplete
    since it's derived from a work print.
    Although it runs at 73 minutes,
    the film was copyrighted at 7,774' which is just over 86 minutes,
    but the general consensus is that it was originally 77 minutes.
    In the book John Ford: The Man and His Films,
    the author, Tag Gallagher, states,
    "The only known surviving prints are of a silent edition with intertitles
    . The talking version seems lost."
    But the book was published in 1988,
    probably before the work print was discovered
    and preserved by the Museum of Modern Art.
    So the work print has limited sound along with intertitles
    in an attempt to best recreate the original sound version.
    In summary, the film--the one in circulation--should be listed as incomplete


    Filming Locations
    Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA
    San Diego, California, USA

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 6 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Men Without Women (1930) is an American drama film directed and written by John Ford,
    from the script by James Kevin McGuinness.
    The film also starred Kenneth MacKenna, Frank Albertson, and J. Farrell MacDonald.
    The sound version is now lost.
    Only a print of the "International Sound Version," held by the Museum of Modern Art, survives.[1]


    By 1929, Duke had given up the idea
    of returning to USC.
    His attachment to John Ford, forever deepening.


    There was little he would do for Ford, even risking his life!!


    During hazardous diving conditions in one of the submarine scenes,
    the four hired professional divers refused to dive.


    Duke's job as a helper, was handling the air compressor.
    Duke knew what was happening, and as the scene
    got underway.


    Ford said

    Quote

    Jesus, What the Hell


    and called out

    Quote

    Duke


    and his assistant said

    Quote

    Yessir!


    Ford said

    Quote

    Hit the god-damned water


    He did the the stunt work for all all four rescues,
    no questions asked, his only regret
    is that he never got paid for the work


    Duke said afterwards

    Quote

    I had to hang on to a heavy weight
    which dragged me below sea level
    then come up on to camera range


    Ford rewarded Duke with a small role.
    with a few lines, and even a close up.


    Duke said

    Quote

    I don't think Jack started appreciating me until
    Men Without Women..
    That was the time I started looking at pictures
    with a different view.
    I was beginning to enjoy this work


    Ford also knew there was something special
    about Duke!!

    Quote

    Sure he was callow and untutored..
    but he had something, that jumped right off the screen at me.
    I guess you could call it star power.
    I wanted to keep an eye on him


    User Review

    Quote

    Early talkie curiosity: uneven but entertaining.
    26 November 1999 | by Robert Keser (Chicago, IL)


    A sailors-trapped-in-a-sinking-submarine drama: Will they drown? Will the oxygen run out? Will they suffocate from chlorine gas? Will divers get to them in time? And what about that religious fanatic on board? John Ford skillfully ratchets up the tension, but some shaky special effects, unlikely characterizations and broad acting give an uneven effect, compared to later and slicker entertainments like RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP. However, this production has genuine historical value because it shows the difficulties in changing over from silent to sound,: sometimes it's a silent film with sound effects and [tinny] music. Other scenes have dialogue with one character actually speaking while another answers in silent intertitles. Most oddly, sometimes a character starts speaking, then an intertitle shows noticeably different lines, then the character finishes speaking. Not many movies have such a variety of expression.

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 4 times, last by ethanedwards ().


  • I. “Duke did stunt work in the film and played an unbilled part as one of fourteen seamen trapped in a submarine disabled on the ocean floor” Page 87-881


    II. “Men without women (William Fox studios 1930) Duke has a small part as a sailor relaying messages between the commanding officer and the rescue divers.” Page 3901


    III. “Besides being a prop man, [Wayne] drew extra pay as a stuntman during the diving sequences, was a sailor in the hapless submarine and played a radio operator on the rescue ship.” Page 2292


    IV. “[Wayne] had four or five lines to speak . . . .” Page 223


    V. “Cast….John Wayne.” 8


    VI. “Wayne was unbilled.” Page 37411


    VII. “Wayne continued working in the prop department [Fox] and now and then as a stuntman. He also began to get bit parts in…Ford films such as Men without women.” Page 1213


    VIII. “Cast…John Wayne.” Page 331


    With thanks to Elly
    John Wayne Before Stagecoach

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England